Automatic pump.



W. A. HARRIS.

AUTOMATIC PUMP.

APPLICATION 'FILED uuzo. ms.

"Patented 001;. 9,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES:

W. A. HARRIS AUTOMATIC PUMP. APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. ms.

36 Tb/MUS lihm MN (5 M W. A. HARRIS.

Automnc PUMP. APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. I916.

1,242,548. Patented 00a 9,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- WITNESSES: INVENTOR @QW Maw/vi #70015,

JMQJL .4 TTORNEYS valve in another position.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ANDREW HARRIS, OF GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC PUMP CORPORATION, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, A COBPORATIDN OF VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC PUMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Greenville, in the county of Greenville and State of South Carolina, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Pumps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic pumps, especially those that are designed to be operated by compressed air, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide an improvement in that form of automatic pump disclosed in my prior Patent Number 1,053,032, of February 11, 1913, the said improvements consisting, first, in providing new features which prevent the binding of certain of the parts, second, in providing an arrangement by which air cannot get in on top of the iston to oppose the movement of the air underneath the piston, and third in providing a valve which will prevent the leakage of air.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularl pointed out in the appended claims.

y invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the device.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the air cylinder, valve, and diaphragm, showing the valve in one position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the Fig. 4 is a side View of the upper portion of the apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a section along the line 55 of 4.

6 is a top plan view of the diaphragm casing. 7

Fig. 7 1s a section along the hue 77;of

Fig. Sis a sectional view of a piortioniof the pressure-controlled valve. V

Fig. 9 is an enlarged section through the diaphragm.

Fig. 10 is a section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 4.

In carrying out my invention I provide a base 1 upon which is a standard 2. The base is designed to rest upon the top 4 of well 5 in which the pump cylinder 6 is disposed. At the top of the standard 2 is secured the air 0 linder 7. The latter is provided with a piston 8 Whose piston rod 9 passes through a stuffing gland 10 in the bottom of the cylinder, thence downwardly into the pipe 11 which communicates with the pump cylinder 6. Secured to the piston rod 9 is an arm 12 to which is secured a vertical rod 13 passing through guides 13 carried by the cylinder 7. At 14 I have shown a Z-shaped contact member which is secured to the rod 13 and which moves with it. At the top of the rod 13 is an arm 15.

Surmounting the cylinder 7 is a valve casing V, through the center of which extends a shaft 16 which is provided with an enlarged hub 17 hearing integral arms 17 and 17, between the ends of which is loosely disposed a valve 18 having a convex surface arranged to engage the interior of the valve casing V. The valve 18 is held in frictional engagement by means of a spring 19 which extends through thecenlarged portion 17 and into a housing 20 which forms an integral part of the enlargement 17. The valve casing V is provided at its bottom with a port 21 leading to a threaded bore 22, see Figs. 2 and 3. At the opposite side of the valve casing is a threaded bore 23, which communicates with the interior of the cylinder 7, and permits free passage of air into or out of the portion of the cylinder 7 above the piston 8.

A pressure controlled valve of particular design is used in connection with the automatic pump. As will be seen from Fig. 2, this comprises a base portion 24 having a threaded extension 24* arranged to enter a threaded opening in the top of the valve casing V. The base portion is provided with a bore 25 which is threaded at its outer end. Communicating with the bore 25 is a vertical bore 26, and at the junction of the'two bores is a valve seat 27. A valve stem 28 is disposed with its axis in vertical alinement with the opening 26. This valve stem Passes through a stuffing box 29 and extends is )rovided with sli e in a slot 33. the plunger stem.

A frame 35 is screwed to that portion of the base 24: which constitutes the stuffing" box, and between the upper part of the frame and a' cap 30 is arranged a diaphragm 37. This diaphragm is connected to the valve stem 28, in the manner clearly shown in, Fig. 9. It will be observed that a threadc'dl extension 10 may be connected with the source of air which may press upon the top of the diaphrsgin. A nut 41 is disposed within the frame so as to screw up and tighten the packing around the stem 28,

A spring 19 bears at one end on a nut carried by the stem, a nut ii. The tension of the spring 42 may be changed by means of the nut 43.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 10, it will be seen that there is a c lindrical extension 'v oi the valve casing i T. The shaft 16 passes through this extension. A sleeve -15 is loosely mounted on the cylindrical extension 0. One end of the sleeve bears an arm 46 bearing a pin 1? to which is attached one end of a spring 48, the opposite end of the spring being attached at 49 to one of the stay rods the cylinder 7. The arm bears a pin 53 arranged to engage lugs 54 and 55 carried by a split collar 56 secured to the end of the shaft 16. V

Considering now Fig. 1, it will be observed that the diaphragm casing communicates by means of a pipe 5 with an air chamber 58, the latter being in connection with a pipe 59 which has communication with the pipe 11 leading to the pump cylinder. The pipe 59 may bear no or more faucets 60 which ma be located in any convenient position, as in the bath room or kitchen of the building, or any place where needed.

The compressed air tank is shown at T and may be of any suitable t pe. It is connested by means of a pipe 6 with the inlet 25 between the diaphragm and the valve easing V. 7

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood.

, The air is su plied b means of the tank T or in any 0 .er suite. le manner. Let. us assumethat the piston 8 is, in the position shown in Fig. 2. Air from the tan passes through thepipe 61 and hence net the valve member 3 1 through a inle 25'; into the valve casing through the port 21 and out; through 22 and :by ineansof a pipe 65, see Fig. 1, intothepoitfifi at the bottom oi the cylinder, see .Eig'...2, thereby forcing the piston 8 u wardly anicarrying with the rod 13 w ich is secured to the piston and at the other end on;

50 which hold the head of stem 9 and the arm Pi which is carried by the rod 13. Before the piston 8 reaches the top of itsstroke, the arm 1A has engaged a-roller 67 carried by an arm 8which is secured to the sleeve 15, se e;;Figs. 1, 2, and 19. As the piston 8 continues to rise, the arm 14, see Fig. 4:, will raise the arm 68in the direction indicated by the ea'row in Fig. 1, thus turning the sleeve and with it the arm 46. As the latter turns the tension of the spring e18 is increased, and

when the arm 46' passes the vertical line through its pivotal support and the point 19 where the spring is secured, it will be suddenly Shifted, due to the spring, and the engagement of the pin 53 with the lug 54: will cause a sudden throw of the valve from the position shown in Fig. 2- to that shown in F g. 3 in which the valve 18 covers the port 21. The stop members 70 and 71 limit the throw of the valve 18, while lugs 51 and limit the movement of the arm 68. V

The upward movement of the rod 13 causes the stretching of a spring 72 which is fastened to the base 1 andto an arm 13 carried by the rod 13. The shifting of the valve 18 from the position shown in Fig. 2 mum shown in Fig. 3 brings the exhaust port 73 into communication with the port 21, so that the piston 8 now has the tension of the spring 72 pulling it downwardly and the air underneath it in the cylinder in com munication with the exhaust port. This moves the piston downwardly.

As the rod 13 moves downwardly the arm 15 engages the roller (37 on the arm 68* and moves the arm downwardly. This rotates the sleeve 25 and stretches the spring 48 as before, but when the arm 16 to which the spring 40 is attached goes past its central position, it will suddenly be thrown forwardly so that the pin 53 engages the lug 55, see Fig. 4, thereby causing a qnick throw of the valve from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 2.

The operations thus described are repeat ed, and the pump is operated by the air pressure. As the water is lifted, the air in the air chamber 5'8 and the pipe .5? is compressed, and when a predetermined ressure is reached the diaphragm Si is oreed downwardly against the tension of the sprin 42 thus closing the valve 34% $3 s'efitiiig i on the seat 27 and shat-ting off the supply of air. The pump will then If nowwater is drawn out of the faucet 6.0, the pressure in the air chamber 58 isyre= iieved'. The die me a resumes its original position under I ,fe action ef the 5:2,

3 1 is lifted from its seat 27' corn,-

automatically starting the device.

It will be sen that thernere openin are met and the drawing or the wanain the contraction or" cause the pump to operate automatically, and stop automatically when the pressure is sufficient to operate the diaphragm.

I desire to call particular attention to the valve which controls the supply of air to the valve casing V, and which is operated by the diaphragm 37. As will be seen from Fig. 8, the valve member 34 is pressed on by the spring 30. A slight variation of pressure and a Corresponding movement of the diaphragm 37 Will not open the valve because of the fact that the member 28 may have play, due to the slot and pin arrangement as shown in Fig. 8. When, however, there is a considerable decrease of pressure, then the movement of the diaphragm is suflicient to withdraw the member 34 from its seat 27 and thereby permit the flow of air into the valve casing. In devices of this kind, it is sometimes hard to prevent a slight fluctuation of pressure. With the device as arranged in Fig. 8, this slight variation of pressure is taken care of, and thus the pump will operate efliciently, Where with a positively operated valve which moves under the slightest pressure, enough air may be admitted to interfere with the proper operation of the pump. One of the novel features of the device lies in providing a valve which Will not open under slight variations of pressure, but Which will open instantly under a variation caused by the opening of a faucet.

I claim 1. In an automatic pumping device, a cylinder provided with an inlet for motive fluid at one end of the cylinder, a main valve for controlling the passage of the motive fluid through said inlet, a valve casing for said valve, a pressure tank, a valve for controlling the entrance of motive fluid into said valve casing, a diaphragm connected to said last named valve and being exposed to the pressure from said pressure tank, and means carried by the valve for holding the latter on its seat during slight movements of the diaphragm and arranged to open at a more extensive movement.

2. In an automatic pump, a cylinder, a valve casing carried by the cylinder, a fluid pressure control valve for controlling the entrance of motive fluid into said valve casing, connections between said valve casing and one end of said cylinder, a rotatable shaft extending through said valve casing, a valve within the valve casing adapted to be shifted by the rotation of said shaft for controlling the connections between the valve casing and the cylinder, an arm loosely mounted on the valve shaft, a stop member arranged to be engaged by the arm, a piston within the cylinder, a piston rod, an auxiliary rod secured to said piston rod and arranged for movement outside of the cylinder, a pair of arms carried by said auxiliary rod and arranged to engage the arm on said valve shaft for moving the latter, and a spring rigidly secured at one end and at the other end to said auxiliary rod and adapted to be placed under tension during upward stroke of the piston, and means carried by said fluid pressure control valve for holding the latter on its seat during slight variations of pressure, said valve being arranged to be operated on greater variations.

3. A fluid pressure control valve comprising a casing, a diaphragm carried by the easing, means for admitting fluid pressure on one side of said diaphragm, a valve stem secared to said diaphragm, a spring for returning the diaphragm to its original posi tion, a spring pressed head carried by the valve stem, said head having a slight play, and a valve seat for said head.

4. A fluid pressure control valve comprising a casing, a diaphragm carried by the easing, means for admitting fluid pressure on one side of said diaphragm, a valve stem secured to said diaphragm, a spring for returning the diaphragm to its original posi tion, a movable head carried by said valve stem, a spring for normally extending said head, and a pin carried by said head and arranged to play in a slot in said stem.

WILLIAM ANDREW HARRIS.

Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

